Kevin Costner has been working in Hollywood for an impressive 40 years. He quickly solidified
his spot on the A-list in the late 1980s with such critically acclaimed films as "The Untouchables,"
"Bull Durham," and "Field of Dreams."
"Hey… dad? You wanna have a catch?"
Over the course of his career, he has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award
for directing the 1990 Western epic "Dances with Wolves," and a Primetime Emmy for his
acting work in the 2012 History miniseries "Hatfields & McCoys."
While the majority of Costner's work has been in film, in recent years he's been making
waves on the small screen. In 2018, the star made the leap over to starring in a TV series,
with the modern-day Western drama "Yellowstone."
Currently in its fourth season, the hit show follows the Dutton family, led by Costner's
John Dutton, who owns the largest ranch in the United States. The drama also stars Kelly
Reilly as loose-cannon daughter Beth, who is fiercely loyal to her father.
"[...] and my loyalty is the one thing on this planet that you don't have to worry about."
Acting in such a long-running series with a star of Costner's caliber sounds like an
amazing experience — and, an outsider might assume, a little daunting. In an exclusive
interview with Looper, Reilly recently opened up about what it's like to work so closely
with Costner.
As one of Hollywood's biggest stars, Costner is obviously a big draw for "Yellowstone."
However, Kelly Reilly is quick to reveal that all that fame hasn't gone to the acting legend's
head. Reilly told Looper,
"He's honestly one of the nicest, most generous actors I've worked with. We get on so well
and we have this real fun relationship. So, yeah, I mean, it's pretty wonderful."
Beyond the general camaraderie the two clearly share, Reilly has great respect for the legendary
actor, who sometimes leaves her in awe while filming a scene. The London-born actress added,
"He's so incredible on the show. I really respect him as an actor and the work he's
doing. I just love what he does. I could watch him all day."
Reilly also admits that despite more than 20 years in the business, she still learns
something new from Costner every day on the set, saying,
"I'm learning a lot from him. I pay attention to how he plays a scene and how he works through
the scenes and how he holds his ground and his space. I admire that in him. I admire
his stillness as an actor. It's things like that that he teaches me inadvertently."
"Secrets are like a callous on your heart."
"What's a callous?"
"Feel that right there."
"It's hard."
Reilly's comments about Costner are perfectly in line with other nuggets of Costner-themed
information that come from the people behind "Yellowstone."
In an interview with Monsters and Critics, Luke Grimes, who plays John's son Kayce, made
no bones about his veteran co-star's dedication to the craft, saying,
"One thing that I really enjoy to see in him is his passion for the work. It's still very
much there. He still wants to work and is still very curious and still wants to dissect
the scenes and get everything out of the scene that he possibly can."
In his role as Season 3 antagonist Roarke Morris, "Lost" star Josh Holloway has seen
a very different on-screen side of Costner's character. However, as the actor told Good
Housekeeping, he, too, has only good things to say about working with the star, telling
the magazine,
"This guy at this level is still trying to do his best work, and that's impressive."
Apart from all the professional praise, actors who have worked closely with Costner are quick
to note his personality, as well. Cole Hauser, who plays Yellowstone Ranch foreman Rip Wheeler,
told Fox News,
"He's a wonderful person – more importantly – a person than an actor. I just enjoy being
around him and enjoying each other's company."
The fact that Costner has been such an overwhelmingly positive influence is all the more impressive
when you realize that the star had his own initial struggles with "Yellowstone." In a
2019 interview with IndieWire, he admitted that being in the dark about some of the future
plot developments — which is typical for TV series, but rarer for his usual big-screen
hunting grounds — was initially difficult for him, and the adjustment wasn't easy.
Season 4 of "Yellowstone" airs exclusively on the Paramount Network on Sunday nights.
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